Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting — 🍫🧁😍 If you’ve ever wanted to make red velvet cupcakes from scratch that are as good as those you’d find in a bakery, try this hassle-free recipe!
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Homemade Red Velvet Cupcakes
These are the best red velvet cupcakes I’ve ever had, and the easiest recipe you’ll ever find. They’re made in one bowl, with no mixer, and no creaming ingredients, and it’s a cupcake batter that’s more like a muffin batter. Whisk together wet ingredients, fold in the dry, pour into liners, and bake. Five minutes of active work never tasted so good!
My issue with most red velvet cakes and cupcakes is that they’re dry, and dry anything just isn’t worth the calories. Why bother? These are incredibly moist from the trifecta of moistening and tenderizing ingredients: oil, buttermilk, and Greek yogurt. I stopped at nothing to make sure they weren’t dry!
Many recipes for red velvet aren’t chocolaty enough either. While these aren’t as chocolaty as chocolate cupcakes, the chocolate flavor is pleasantly noticeable.
They rise beautifully to the point I was worried they were rising a little too well. I filled my cupcake liners to a solid three-quarters full (this is a non-issue if you only fill to 2/3-full), but thankfully they stay contained, and the resulting cupcakes and hearty and full, not skimpy, wimpy, little cupcakes that no one reaches for.
I also made a one-bowl, no-mixer vanilla cream cheese frosting for the red velvet cake cupcakes that I simply spread on. These homemade red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are soft, tender, springy, and moist. There’s just enough chocolate flavor to satisfy your chocolate cravings, without being overdone.
The smooth, rich homemade cream cheese frosting is the perfect complement to the cupcakes and adds the right amount of zip and tang. So good, so easy, so soft, fluffy, and moist. Perfect for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or any old Tuesday!
What’s in Red Velvet Cupcakes?
To make red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing, you’ll need:
- Egg
- Granulated sugar
- Buttermilk
- Canola oil
- Vanilla Greek yogurt
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour – There’s no need for fancy flour like cake flour, though it will probably work
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Red liquid food coloring
And to make the red velvet cake frosting, you’ll need:
- Cream cheese – I used light cream cheese, which makes the frosting softer and runnier. If you want to pipe your frosting on, use full-fat
- Unsalted butter
- Vanilla extract
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Milk
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make this Simple Red Velvet Cupcakes Recipe
Once you realize how easy it is to make frosted cupcakes from scratch, you’ll never go back to boxed varieties again. Here’s an overview of the process:
- Whisk the wet ingredients in a bowl. Then, stir in the dry ingredients. Add in just enough food coloring to turn the batter red.
- Fill your muffin cups 3/4 full, then bake the red velvet cupcakes until risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan slightly. Then, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the red velvet cupcakes cool, make the homemade cream cheese frosting. If your frosting is too thick, add a splash of cream or milk to gradually thin it out.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes with the red velvet cake frosting and optionally garnish with sanding sugar.
Tip
The batter makes enough for about 14 cupcakes. However, because I have a small oven, I can only fit one 12-cup muffin pan in my oven at a time.
The remedy is to either lick the bowl (I’m still alive after a lifetime of raw dough and batter eating); discard the batter (that’s criminal), or bake an adorable mini loaf in a mini loaf pan that fits on the same oven rack as the muffin pan (score!).
Storage:
Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. I personally am comfortable storing cream cheese-frosted items at room temperature, but if you prefer to store them in the fridge, that’s fine. Just note that the fridge will dry the cupcakes out much more quickly.
You can also transfer leftover cupcakes to the freezer for up to 2 months. I recommend freezing just the cupcakes and making a fresh batch of cream cheese frosting when you’re ready to thaw and enjoy them.
Recipe FAQs
If you’re the type of person who doesn’t tend to keep buttermilk on hand, you can make your own by adding about 2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup regular milk, letting it stand 10 minutes to curdle, and then use as indicated.
Or, you can buy a tub of Powdered Buttermilk and it’s shelf-stable for years. It’s the perfect solution for that once-in-a-blue-moon recipe you make that calls for buttermilk.
Although I haven’t tried it, I surmise this cupcake batter could be used as a cake batter. I’m guessing a 9-inch square cake (not a 9-inch round pan because they’re smaller and could overflow) would be about right for a red velvet cake recipe.
Yes! If you want to prepare ahead of time or happen to have leftover cream cheese frosting, you can transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 months!
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- 1 Non-Stick 12-Cup Regular Muffin Pan
- 2 Large Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cupcakes
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup buttermilk, or Powdered Buttermilk, use 2 1/2 tablespoons + 2/3 cup water
- ½ cup canola oil
- 2 tablespoons vanilla Greek yogurt, plain Greek yogurt or sour cream may be substituted
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 1 to 2 tablespoons red food coloring, or as needed
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup cream cheese, softened (I used Trader Joe’s soft spreadable light)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 to 2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, or as necessary
- splash cream or milk, only if necessary
- sanding sugar or sprinkles, optional for garnishing
Instructions
Make the Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a Non-Stick 12-Cup Regular Muffin Pan with paper liners; set aside. You will likely have batter for a 13th or 14th cupcake, and I baked it in this cooking-sprayed mini loaf pan because my oven is small and that setup works; discard extra batter if that’s easier.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the first 6 ingredients, through vanilla, until smooth.
- Add the flour, cocoa, baking soda, optional salt, and whisk until just combined; don’t overmix.
- Carefully whisk in the food coloring, making sure to add only as much as necessary to color the batter a deep shade of red; adding more than necessary can leave an aftertaste.
- Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, place about 2 heaping tablespoons of batter per cupcake into each of the 12 cavities so they’re solidly 3/4-full. I poured the excess batter into a mini loaf pan.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until domed, set, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter; don’t overbake. My cupcakes were on the large side of normal because I generously filled liners to 3/4-full, and they took exactly 20 minutes. If yours are filled more shallow, start checking at 18 minutes.
- Allow cupcakes to cool in pan for about 15 minutes before removing. I baked the mini loaf for 20 minutes. While cupcakes cool, make the frosting.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Combine first 3 ingredients in a large mixing bowl, add about 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, and whisk to combine or beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Continue adding sugar until desired frosting consistency is reached. If you add too much sugar and need to thin frosting out, add a splash of cream. Because I used light cream cheese, the frosting stayed on the runnier side. If you want frosting thick enough to pipe, do not use light cream cheese.
- Add 2 to 3 tablespoons frosting to the top of each cupcake and smooth with a knife. Optionally transfer frosting to a piping bag and frost the cooled cupcakes. I like the Wilton 1M tip for cupcakes.
- Optionally, garnish each cupcake with a sprinkle of sanding sugar or pinch of sprinkles.
Notes
- You may have a small amount of frosting left over. It will keep airtight in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
- Cupcakes will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days. I personally am comfortable storing cream cheese-frosted items at room temp, but if you prefer to store in the fridge, that’s fine, but note the fridge will dry cupcakes out much more quickly.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Valentine’s Day Recipes:
Red Velvet Chocolate-Swirled Brownie Bars — These easy, no-mixer brownie bars are in between a bar and a brownie. Not supremely fudgy to give them true brownie status, but much fudgier and richer than your typical bar, and not cakey!
Easy Chocolate Pots de Creme – No-bake, no-cook, and made in a blender in 5 minutes!! The PERFECT dessert! Rich, decadent, a chocolate lover’s dream, perfect for special occasions, and guaranteed to impress!
Red Velvet Poke Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting — The cake is fast, easy, and it’s a poke cake so it’s automatically super soft and moist.
Soft Frosted Valentine’s Heart Cookies — These easy cookies are soft, chewy, dense, made in one bowl, and you don’t have to roll them out.
Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cookies — These chocolate chip red velvet cookies have a secret ingredient — cake mix! These cookies are super ooey gooey and ultra rich!
Valentine’s Day Vanilla Pudding Sugar Cookie Bars – A sugar cookie crust topped with creamy vanilla pudding, whipped topping, and sprinkles! A luscious and EASY Valentine’s Day dessert that will put everyone in festive spirits!
The Best and Easiest Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes — One bowl, no mixer, so easy! The warm, gooey, fudgy chocolate lava cake center is heavenly! Better than any restaurant versions! Best chocolate cake EVER!
Valentine’s Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars – Sugar cookie bars are so much FASTER AND EASIER than making sugar cookies! The sprinkles and tangy cream cheese frosting help to make the bars a PERFECT Valentine’s Day treat!
Recipe originally published November 18, 2013 and republished January 29, 2020 with updated text.
You’re right — homemade red velvet cupcakes can be really tricky. The first batch I made ended up so dry and crumbly, just as you say. I eventually came up with a recipe I was happy with — but I love that you added Greek yogurt to ensure these were as moist as possible. I’ll definitely be trying that next time!
Oh wow, good for you for trying to come up with your own recipe and you’re right, it can be a real beast getting to one you not only can live with, but love. Lmk if you try these!
I can’t tell you how many red velvet cupcakes I tried to make this spring. ALL dry! And mind you, the recipes all needed like 10 different bowls. Red velvet cupcakes are so had to get down Averie, but you nailed it. And nailed it with such a simple recipe. My god do they look amazing! And I’m not even the hugest red velvet fan (maybe because I’ve only experienced dry!?), but Kevin loves it. Your cupcakes are beautiful – I can literally see how moist they are. Leave it to you to solve the dry red velvet cupcake/cake mystery.
And now I want red velvet for lunch!
Im not even the hugest R.V. fan either but it has a cult-like following among those who love it so I figured, let’s give the worshipers what they want. The issue as you know is most cupcake recipes involve creaming butter, partial eggs, and cake flour. 3 things I hate doing for cupcakes/muffins or really ever. Unless it’s cookie or bread dough, don’t make me get out my stand mixer. And then most recipes are like C.I. style recipes with 10 dirty bowls. No thanks. I know you know Sally how hard certain recipe dev can be to nail after all you’ve gone through :) so I really appreciate your praise!
The red velvet cupcakes look amazing! I made red velvet cupcakes twice…first time it turned out well. Unfortunately, the second attempt wasn’t so great. It came out dense and dry. :(
I can’t wait to try this recipe out.
Thanks, Candice. Please LMK how you like them if you try it!
Red velvet cupcakes are one of my favorite things in the world! Yours look perfect Averie!
You are the cupcake QUEEN and I am thrilled to hear you say mine look perfect! :) Thank you!
The red velvet cupcakes/cakes I’ve had have always been dry so I’ve wondered why they are so popular–but these may be worth it! And thank you for doing the legwork and tweaking recipes. While I am nowhere near your goddess standard of baking, I’ve tweaked a few recipes over the years and it really is a trial-and-error process. I’ve learned to be more disciplined and actually write down the changes I make instead of relying on memory!
Im not even the hugest R.V. fan either but it has a cult-like following among those who love it so I figured, letâs give the cult what they want and give others who arent usually that into it (b/c they’re dry!) some moist cupcakes!
Writing down the changes…omg yes. I have self-imposed rules about how long in between I make something and write about it, too. Because the little nuances fade in your memory over time and sometimes those little tips really can help people so I write about things, asap, even if I don’t publish it for weeks.
When I saw the title “Red Velvet Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting” in my inbox, I was a little surprised. Red Velvet isn’t really a new sensation anymore, and it didn’t appear (at first) to have an Averie spin. I nearly passed it over since I already have a go-to red velvet recipe, but I knew there had to be something I was missing. So onward I clicked!
And I’m glad I did. :) Though I just finished reading your recipe and haven’t yet tried it, I’m very excited to try out such an EASY recipe! I’m all about less dishes and more ease. :D And though I find my go-to red velvet recipe (Martha Stewart’s, btw) to be perfectly moist, I wouldn’t be surprised if your recipe kicks that one’s butt.
Guess I better get baking!
I saw her recipe but saw mixed reviews…I also saw Paula D’s recipe and that one started out with so much oil that I clicked off the page..LOL So I started from scratch, literally. Lmk if you try these!
You clearly put a lot of effort into this recipe and it paid off! Such delicious looking cupcakes!
Tons of effort – thanks for noticing!
You are the queen of one bowl recipes…I love it!!! And buttermilk, oil, and yogurt is the best combo to keep things soft and fluffy!!! These are absolutely gorgeous! Pinning.
Thanks for pinning and yes to that trifecta of ingredients for soft and fluffy results!
Can’t wait to give these a try!
These are perfect in every way! I love the ease of ingredients and the lack of need for a mixer. And they’re moist to boot – nobody wants a dry cupcake! Definitely pinning these so I can remember for them for the next time I want to make red velvet!
Thanks for pinning, Colleen! LMK if you ever try them!
Oh yum! I’m on a bit of a cupcake-making bender at the moment and these look AMAZING! Buttermilk is difficult to find where I live — any suggestions on what I could use instead? Thank you for sharing this recipe :)
I wrote about a couple buttermilk alternatives in the post. One on Amazon and one as a DIY option. Re-read :)
Red velvet is probably my favorite flavor of cake/cupcake, but I’ve never made them before. These look to-die-for and I know your batter is never dry. I like the fact that there isn’t a ton of oil for the moisture. There is a local bakery that makes a really good RV cupcake but they are about $3 each, so a dozen gets pretty pricey. These are a bucket list baking project for me!
Only $3 each? Here they’re in the $5 ish range. So you know, a cup of coffee is $5 or $7, and with a cupcake, you need to take out a second mortgage to pay for it. LOL And yes, not tons of oil for moisture. Gotta love b-milk and Greek yog to step in to help! If you are a R.V. fan, then these are the best I’ve ever had. I am not even that big of a fan, per se, normally b/c they are boring and dry. Promise, these aren’t!
Um Hello-I-just-woke-up-and-want-cupcakes-for-breakfast! These look so good Averie! And, anything with cream cheese frosting is always a good idea. Yum!
Love that you wanted them for breakfast :)
I’ve been searching for a similar recipe for a while now and will definitely save these for the next occasion! Hope I’ll get them as red as yours. Last time I tried to make red velvet cupcakes they ended up being sadly greyish-rose instead of vibrant red.
1 little vial of store-brand red food coloring, about 1 tbsp. Nothing fancy at all! LMK how yours go!
Absolutely beautiful. I want to make these. I have never cared much for red velvet cake, however I must try your recipe. It looks too good to pass up. Pinning!
Thanks for pinning & the compliments!
Love this recipe, and wow such a simple batter too.
Red velvet s only started to be accepted down under, I think we are bit hesitant because of the colour. However I love it, I normally always use canola oil and butter milk in chocolate cakes; it makes them so much more moist and denser (I have found their is a problem with cocoa cakes).
So pretty too!
I am wondering do you like gel or powder colour? I use a bot of both but I like to now what you do for yours.
I use cheap grocery-store food coloring. It comes in little liquid vials, in the primary colors. Red, yellow, blue, and green. I used 1 vial of red for this. Nothing fancy here :)